Below is an outline of the American history curriculum taught across New York State in Grades 7 and 8. Each lesson below is a live link to an activity written by a participant in the Upstate New York Teaching of American History Project. Feel free to print out these lessons and accompanying materials for use in your classroom.
NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES CORE CURRICULUM
GRADES 7-8: UNITED STATES AND NEW YORK STATE HISTORY
UNIT ONE: THE GLOBAL HERITAGE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE PRIOR TO 1500
I. HISTORY AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: THE STUDY OF PEOPLE
II. GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS INFLUENCE CULTURE
III. IROQUOIAN AND ALGONQUIAN CULTURES ON THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA
IV. EUROPEAN CONCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD IN 1500
UNIT TWO: EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND COLONIZATION OF THE
AMERICAS
I. EUROPEAN EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT
II. COLONIAL SETTLEMENT: GEOGRAPHIC, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
III. LIFE IN COLONIAL COMMUNITIES
UNIT THREE: A NATION IS CREATED
I. BACKGROUND CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
II. THE SHIFT FROM PROTEST TO SEPARATION
III. EARLY ATTEMPTS TO GOVERN THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT STATES
IV. MILITARY AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF THE REVOLUTION
V. ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
UNIT FOUR: EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT
I. THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND THE CRITICAL PERIOD
II. THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION OF 1777
III. THE WRITING, STRUCTURE, AND ADOPTION OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
UNIT FIVE: LIFE IN THE NEW NATION
I. NEW GOVERNMENT IN OPERATION
II. THE AGE OF JACKSON
III. PREINDUSTRIAL AGE: 1790-1860s
UNIT SIX: DIVISION AND REUNION
I. UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR
II. THE CIVIL WAR BREAKS OUT
III. RESULTS OF THE CIVIL WAR
UNIT SEVEN: AN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
I. THE MATURING OF AN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY
II. CHANGES IN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE ALTERED THE AMERICAN SCENE
III. THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT, 1900-1920: EFFORTS TO REFORM THE NEW SOCIETY
UNIT EIGHT: THE UNITED STATES AS AN INDEPENDENT NATION IN AN
INCREASINGLY INTERDEPENDENT WORLD
I. THE UNITED STATES EXPANDS ITS TERRITORIES AND BUILDS AN OVERSEAS EMPIRE
II. THE UNITED STATES BEGINS TO TAKE A ROLE IN GLOBAL POLITICS
UNIT NINE: THE UNITED STATES BETWEEN THE WARS
I. THE ROARING TWENTIES REFLECTED THE SPIRIT OF THE POSTWAR PERIOD
II. THE GREAT DEPRESSION
UNIT TEN: THE UNITED STATES ASSUMES WORLDWIDE RESPONSIBILITIES
I. WORLD WAR II
II. THE UNITED STATES AS LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD
III. THE UNITED STATES IN THE POST-COLD WAR WORLD
UNIT ELEVEN: THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT
I. POSTWAR SOCIETY CHARACTERIZED BY PROSPERITY AND OPTIMISM
II. THE UNITED STATES BEGINS A NEW CENTURY
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